This is the second in a series of articles on leadership. You can read the first one here.
Everything rises and falls on leadership and that may be what you need now to move to the next level in every area of your life.
We need leadership at all levels. We need credible leaders in government, business, family, school, and the economy. There is tendency for us to think that the subject of leadership is for those who are in government or only politician, but I want you to realise that this discourse is about you and I.
We are not talking about someone else’s responsibilities or failures. Everybody is a leader. You have leadership potential locked up inside you and you can exert a measure of influence to some degree wherever you find yourself or operate.
The failure of businesses, families, and economies is traceable to bad leadership. You cannot move farther in life than your leadership potential. A body cannot move faster than its head. The values and principles of a business or your personal self depend largely on the leader inside you. This also holds true for a family or any organization.
If something goes wrong with the person who is meant to be the head of the home, something goes wrong with the entire family. Business organizations are no exception to this truth too.
Leadership Defined
Leadership can be defined as the ability of one person to influence many people to achieve worthwhile goals. The key word here is influence. When you discover the power in leadership, you will want to be a leader because leadership multiplies your effectiveness and puts your success on the geometric rise.
The essence of leadership could be best captured in the words of D.L. Moody: “I would rather put 10 men to work than do the work of ten men.” The cheapest way to multiply your life is to become a leader and to be raise other leaders after yourself. Your effectiveness in life will never rise beyond your leadership ability.
When a change is about to happen in any sphere of life, a person (leader) is demanded. All that is needed is a leader who can mobilise other people to create the needed change.
Everybody Can Lead
Generally, when you talk about leadership, all that comes to people’s mind is the old belief that only a few people are born to rule, others are born to be followers. Some people have said leaders are born and not made based on some philosophers’ view points. It is unfortunate that leadership, before now, had been built on that premise. The truth is that everybody is born to lead. There are people who are not making any attempt to lead because they do not believe they have the potential to lead.
However, have you ever influenced anybody to make a decision? Have you ever persuaded anyone to join you on a cause or an assignment? Then, you are a leader.
Uncommon leaders solve uncommon problems, and become an inspiration to others in the process. You did not plan to be born at the time you were born. Now that you are here, there are challenges we are facing in this world that you can do something about in any little way. You were born to solve a problem and in the bid to solve these problems you become an inspiration to some other people.
What You Need To Become a Leader
In becoming a leader you need a guiding vision. You need the ability to see ahead to know where we have to go. You need a clear picture of the future. This is one of the critical qualities that separate a true leader from everyone else. Every leader all through history has had this attribute. You have to be able to see a better future for yourself, your family, for your organization, for your business, and for the nation. Anyone who cannot clearly articulate the vision of a better future is not worth following. Our future is in our picture – dream of a better future.
Moreover, you need a definite purpose. This is the stuff leadership is made of. Leaders are crusaders. Crusaders are people who are willing to lay down their lives for a cause. Understand that if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. The greatest leaders of all time are those who broke beyond selfishness to do things that affected many people. If you expend all your spiritual, physical and material resources on yourself alone, you have made your life so cheap. On the long run, it is what you do for others that count. Stand up for what is right wherever you find yourself. Footprints on the sands of time are not made by sitting down. Do something this week that can move your life, business, family and nation forward.
Towards a remarkable life!